MSI's customizable GX640 gaming notebook now shipping

MSI's gaming laptops have looked the same for years, but we aren't going to judge. As Mother always told us, it's what's inside that counts, and the new GX6490 -- now stateside after a two month vacation in Europe -- is quite the upgrade. That familiar red-and-black chassis now houses a 2.26GHz Core i5-540M alongside 4GB of DDR3 memory, and the 1680 x 1050 LCD display is driven by a Mobility Radeaon HD 5850 mondo graphical performance. 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a six-cell battery and a 500GB, 7200RPM HDD round out a value-packed $1100 Amazon.com package, but if you're looking for a little more juice (and prepared to squeeze), you'll find you can customize this mean, 5.8 pound machine with a Core i7 CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, SSDs and a nine-cell Li-ion at XoticPC.

Toshiba crams Core i3 and i5 options into business-like Tecra M11

There's no mistaking the fact that this understated machine is aimed primarily at those rocking suits more often than pajamas, but just because the all-new Tecra M11's outfit ain't flashy, that doesn't mean there's not a party raging on the inside. In an effort to keep the times, Toshiba has equipped its newest spreadsheet warrior with Intel's Core i3 and Core i5 processors, and just in case your company has yet to evolve its operating system, a copy of WinXP is thrown in alongside Windows 7. Other specs include up to 3GB of DDR3 RAM, integrated Intel HD graohics (or an NVIDIA NVS 2100M on the $1,299 model), a 320GB hard drive (7,200rpm), dual-layer DVD writer and a 14-inch LED backlit panel (1,366 x 768). You'll also get a webcam, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi, audio in / out, an ExpressCard slot and a three-year warranty, all for the low, low starting price of $899. Oh, and it's available today, junior!

Gateway Busts Out Core i3, Core i5 NV Series Laptops

Gateway's just launched two 15.6-inch laptops -- the NV59C-H34E and the NV59C-H54E. Both of these windows 7 Premium boys boast 1366 x 768 displays, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 640GB SATA HDD. They also have Intel integrated graphics, HDMI, VGA and three USB 2.0 ports, plus WiFi 802.11b/g/n, and Gigabit Ethernet LAN, So what is the difference between these two lookalikes? Unsuprisingly, it's their CPUs. The NV59C-h34E packs a 2.13 GHz, Core i3 processor, and is available in silver and blue, while the NC59C-h54E (which sadly only comes in silver) boasts a 2.26Ghz Core i5 CPU. These will be available on April 23rd in Japan, but you can already score Gateway's Core i3 NV5933u in the U.S. right now.

Dell Launches Vostro 3300,3400,3500 And 3700 Business Notebooks

Dell has launched 4 new laptops in the Vostro 3000 series. The notebooks called Vostro 3300, 3400, 3500 and 3700 are available with Core i3 and i5 processors. A quad core Core i7 processor is also offered with the 17 inch Vostro 3700.

The Vostro 3000 series has notebooks with 13, 14, 15 and 17 inch displays. All machines are available in red, silver and bronze.

The 13 inch Vostro 3300 which starts at $699 is one of the thinnest 13 inch notebooks on the market. It also sports an optical drive. The 14 inch Vostro 3400 is available with an optional 9-cell battery and claims to offer up to 8 hours of run time. While the Vostro 3300, 3400 and 3500 are available with NVIDIA GeForce 310M 512MB discrete GPU, the Vostro 3700 can be configured with an optional Nvidia Geforce GT 330M 1GB card. Up to 6GB of DDR3 RAM and a 500 GB of hard drive are available. Thenotebooks are now available for purchase in the US and parts of Asia.

50+ ARM Tablets Coming This Year

Tablets are devices that are supposed to fill the gap existing between smartphones and traditional laptops. These machines don’t offer the full functionality of a computer. For one thing, most of them lack a physical keyboard. They aren’t as portable as a smartphone either. You can’t put a tablet in your pocket and carry it around.

Regardless of their few advantages and numerous disadvantages, PC makers are hell bent on creating a new product category to market.

In fact, at least 50+ ARM based tablets are coming this year. So how many of them will survive? One thing is certain. Apple’s iPad tablet is going to sell well. It may not be as functional as some of the upcoming tablets from other lesser known companies, but the fanatic fan following Apple enjoys will make the tablet a success. But I don’t know if the same can be said true of other dozens of tablets running Windows CE, Google Android or Windows 7. Maybe they will sell, but that is too early to predict.

Dell Vostro 3700 Overview

Dell has launched recently the latest Vostro 3700 small business notebook series, including the 17.3-inch Vostro 3700.

The Dell Vostro 3700 includes the Intel Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processors, the Intel GMA HD integrated or Nvidia Geforce 330M 1GB dedicated graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 500GB of storage space, and a DVD burner.

The Vostro 3700 has a LED-backlight anti-glare display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.

The laptop also features a 2MP web camera with digital array microphones, stereo speakers, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1, a LAN port, four USB ports, an USB/eSATA combo connector, HDMI and VGA outputs, an 8-in-1 media card reader, anExpressCard slot, optional fingerprint reader, and a spill-resistant keyboard with numeric pad.

Dell’s new laptop starts at 5.95 pounds with the 6-cell battery and is available in three colors: Aberdeen silver, Lucerne red, and Brisbane bronze.

The Vostro 3700 runs Windows 7 Home or Professional operating system. It can be purchased via the Dell online store for the starting price of $679.

Gateway EC14D Now Shipping

The Gateway EC14D07u thin and light notebook is now available for purchase from B&H. The retailer is selling the device for $629.99.

The Gateway EC14D is a CULV powered notebook with an 11.6 inch display. Its claim to fame is the 8x SuperMulti DVD burner it sports inside its not so slim chassis. Needless to say, the EC14D is slightly heavier than similar sized notebooks and weighs around 3.6 pounds. Still this machine is lighter than most 14 and 15 inch notebooks.

Detailed specifications are as follows:
Processor: 1.3GHz Intel Atom Pentium SU4100 processor
Memory: 4GB of RAM
Hard drive: 320GB
Display: 11.6 inch display with 1366 x 768 pixels
Graphics: Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

Other features include WiFi 802.11b/g/n.

HP ProBook 4420s Overview

The HP ProBook 4420s, Hewlett-Packard’s latest 14-inch business-class notebook, is now available.

The ProBook 4420s features the Intel Core i7-620LM, i5-520M, i5-430M, i3-350M, or i3-330M CPU, the Intel HD integrated graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to 500GB of hard drive space, and a DVD burner or Blu-Ray Combo optical drive.

Its 14-inch LED-backlit display has a resolution of 1366 x 7680 pixels.

The ProBook 4420s also includes a spill-resistant keyboard an optional 2MP web cam, stereo speakers and microphone, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, a Gigabit Ethernet LAN port, Bluetooth, optional 56k modem, VGA and HDMI outputs, three USB ports and a combo eSATA/USB port, an ExpressCard slot, a media card reader, and an optional fingerprint sensor.

The laptop starts at around 5 pounds and runs Windows 7 or SUSE Linux.

It can be purchased via the HP website for a starting price of $869.

Acer Unveils Its New TravelMate 6594

Overview

According to a press release, the Taiwan-based computer technology and electronics corporation,Acer, will out a new high-performance laptop, which will supposedly be aimed at corporate users looking for a “robust, secure and powerful notebook”. The 6594 is going to be the new member of the successful TravelMate Series.

Configuration

In order to meet the performance demand of business users, the TravelMate 6594 will be powered by a 2010 Intel Core i5/i7 central processing unit with Intel’s Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading technologies. Furthermore, the laptop will sport an Intel QM57 Express Chipset and up to an ATI Radeon video card. The graphics controller of the ultra-portable TravelMate computer will support DirectX11, DDR3/DDR5 memory and up to 1 GB of dedicated VRAM.

Acer’s 6594 will be equipped with a 15.6-inch (39.5cm) 16:9 LED backlit display and will house up to 8GB of internal DDR3 RAM. In addition, it will sport a double-layer DVD Burner that is reportedly interchangeable with a second hard drive or an additional battery.

Connectivity

In terms of networking, the TravelMate 6594 packs Wi-Fi and Ethernet LAN connectivity along with Bluetooth and 3G available as options. The device will feature an integrated 1.3MP web camera with Acer Video Conference Manager software, which allegedly enhances the video quality of your calls.

The company has built-in docking connectors for the Acer ezDock docking solution, in case you need one.

Other specs, Pricing and Availability

There is no word on what OS the new TravelMate will come with, but I presume it will be up to a Windows 7 Professional (32bit/64bit) or a Red Hat Linux. Acer promises up to 5 hours of operating time with a “standard battery” and up to 10 hours with a 9-cell battery.

The TravelMate 6594 will ship with one-year international warranty. Pricing and availability are still unknown.

Dell Offers Inspiron Mini 10 With Linux

Dell Japan has started selling a Linux version of its Inspiron Mini 10 netbook. Much like the version running Windows, the Linux model also has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and GMA 3150 graphics. Other specifications include a 160GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM and WiFi 802.11 b/g/n.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 has a 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels. The Dell product page states that the Linux model runs Ubuntu 9.10, Moblin 2.1. This is probably a version of the Ubuntu Linux that uses the Moblin user interface.

Toshiba To Launche a Line Of Tablet PCs

Suddenly tablets are everywhere. No, they haven’t started shipping yet, but they will in the coming months. And Toshiba, like every other PC maker, wants a piece of the action. The company has announced its plans to launch a whole line of slate PCs.

The netbook revolution began when Asus launched a series of consumer-oriented low cost mini-laptops in the latter half of 2007. HP followed suit six months later and soon every main stream PC maker was building netbooks.

So if 2008 and 2009 were the years of netbooks, 2010, it seems, is going to be the year of tablets. Apple’s iPad certainly is the most interesting of these devices but other companies like HP, MSI, Lenovo and Asus have also announced plans to releases tablets. Now Toshiba has joined the fray. In fact, Toshiba isn’t releasing one or two tablets but a whole line later this year or early next year. The company hasn’t revealed a lot of details, but these could be x86 based tablets running Windows or OS X and ARM based tablets running Linux, Chrome or Android.

Lenovo ThinkPad X201s Overview

Lenovo has launched the ThinkPad X201s ultraportable laptop, featuring a 12.1-inch display, the Intel Core i7 processor, and a starting weight of 2.51 pounds.

Compared to the standard X201, the X201s has lighter weight, low voltage instead of full voltage processors, and roll cage in display cover.

The Lenovo’s ThinkPad X201s includes the 2.93GHz Core i7-640LM CPU. Other core components include the Intel HD integrated graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and up to 500GB hard drive or up to 128GB solid state drive. The laptop does not have a built-in optical disc.

Its display has a resolution of 1440×900 pixels, LED backlight, and anti-glare coating.

The X201s sports a full sized keyboard, a multitouch touchpad and the TrackPoint, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, optional WiMAX, 3 USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, a VGA output, a choice of 5-1 media card reader or modem, and a fingerprint reader.

Lenovo provides three battery options for the X201s: 4-cell, 6-cell, and 9-cell units for up to 3.7, 7.4 and 12.3 hours of battery life, respectively.

The ThinkPad X201s runs Windows 7 Professional OS and starts at $1,349 at Lenovo.com.